CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Canadians and overseas over the Internet, and through mobile apps. CBC Radio One is simulcast across Canada on Bell Satellite TV satellite channels 956 and 953, and Shaw Direct satellite channel 870. A modified version of Radio One, with local content replaced by additional airings of national programming, is available on Sirius XM channel 169. It is downlinked to subscribers via SiriusXM Canada and its U.S.-based counterpart, Sirius XM Satellite Radio.
In 2010, Radio One reached 4.3 million listeners each week. It was the largest radio network in Canada."Millions of people tune into CBC Radio" Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. August 2010.
History CBC Radio began in 1936, and is the oldest branch of the corporation. In 1949, the facilities and staff of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland were transferred to CBC upon Newfoundland's entry into Canadian Confederation.
Beginning in 1944, the CBC operated two English-language radio services: the original network became the Trans-Canada Network, and a second network, the Dominion Network, was established with CJBC in Toronto as its flagship. With the exception of CJBC, all 35 stations on the CBC Dominion Network were privately owned affiliates. Its programming tended to be lighter than that of the Trans-Canada Network, carrying more American programming in its schedule. The Dominion Network operated only in the evenings, freeing affiliates to air local programming during the day.
Until 1958, the CBC was both a broadcaster, and the principal broadcast regulator in Canada. It used this dual role to take most of Canada's clear-channel frequencies on the AM band.
In 1962, the Dominion Network was dissolved and within a few years CJBC became a French-language station broadcasting the programming of Radio-Canada.
In 1960, the CBC began running distinct programming on its three existing FM English-language stations, which had been providing simulcasts of programming on its AM stations. The stations, located in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, broadcast a monoaural FM signal. Programming consisted mostly of classical music. The stations were linked by CN/CP Telecommunications via land-line and microwave. This service was discontinued in 1962, but resumed in 1964 in stereo. Eventually, a national satellite-distributed network of stereo FM stations was established. In 1975, the FM network was called CBC Stereo, and the AM service was designated CBC Radio.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, CBC Radio increased its current affairs and documentary content with an initiative known as the "Radio Revolution", using more ambitious, live coverage of news and current affairs including listeners as well as experts. The change began with national shows such as As It Happens.Morris Wolfe, Fifty Years of Radio, CBC Enterprises (1986), p. 36 The change spread to CBC regional morning shows which developed three hours of live radio combining "survival information", about news, weather and traffic, with interviews and documentaries about local and national issues. CBC Radio Winnipeg was the first to embrace the format followed by Information Morning in Halifax, a move which increased audience and attracted coverage in Time magazine."New Sounds", Time (June 1971)
CBC Radio stopped running commercials in 1974. Until 1995, the network signed off the air between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily (5:00 a.m. weekdays on its Toronto flagship station, CBL)– in that year, it launched an overnight program, CBC Radio Overnight, which airs international news and documentary programs.
In the early 1990s, the CBC began offering selected programs on the Internet."CBC radio networks going live on Internet". Kingston Whig-Standard, September 26, 1996. In September 1996, the network formally launched live audio streaming of both CBC Radio and CBC Stereo.
Since the 1980s, many of the CBC's AM stations moved to FM in response to complaints of poor AM reception. This meant that the old distinction between the AM "Radio" network and the FM "Stereo" network was no longer accurate, even though many of the FM "Radio" stations broadcast in mono only. As a result, on September 1, 1997, CBC Radio became CBC Radio One and CBC Stereo became CBC Radio 2 (it is now CBC Music)."CBC reinvents itself on AM, FM," from The Gazette, August 20, 1997 (via Newspapers.com) Although some Radio One stations still broadcast on AM as of 2018, because of issues with urban reception of AM radio signals many of the remaining AM stations have added FM rebroadcasters in major urban centres within their broadcast area.
CBC Radio One today From 2004 until early 2007, CBC Radio One promotional spots were announced by Canadian actress Shauna MacDonald, also known as "Promo Girl". Toronto-born Jeremy Harris took over from MacDonald. Until fall 2005, promos ended with one of two slogans: either "Because sometimes a picture needs a thousand words" or "Hear the big picture". Until early 2015, the slogan was "Canada Lives Here." The slogan was not replaced.
In the fall of 2021, CBC Radio One's weekend evening programing was reorganized. With the removal of two-hour programs, with Vinyl Tap cancelled and Saturday Night Blues relegated to CBC Music, Saturday night programming features various music programs from CBC Music. In contrast, the Sunday night programming has the network's various spoken-word narrative programs concentrated from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. (Eastern).
Some CBC Radio One programs, such as As It Happens, air in the United States on some stations associated with Public Radio International. Definitely Not the Opera, Quirks & Quarks, The Vinyl Cafe, and Q are heard on some public stations in the northern United States. Some CBC-SRC programs were relayed on Radio Canada International for listeners abroad and others, such as the 2010 summer program Promised Land, have aired on Sirius Satellite Radio 169.
CBC Radio One stations
Only stations licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission as separate broadcast undertakings are listed below. Most—though not all—of these stations produce at least one local program. Most stations also have numerous rebroadcasters in smaller communities within their service areas; rebroadcasters are listed in each primary station's article.
Call signLocationProvince/TerritoryMorning programMidday programAfternoon/Evening programCBRCalgaryAlbertaCalgary EyeopenerAlberta@noonThe HomestretchCBXEdmontonEdmonton AMRadio ActiveCBUVancouverBritish ColumbiaThe Early EditionB.C. TodayOn The CoastCBCV-FMVictoriaOn The IslandAll Points WestCBTK-FMKelownaDaybreak SouthRadio West (Mo-We)CBYK-FMKamloopsDaybreak KamloopsCBYG-FMPrince GeorgeDaybreak NorthCFPRPrince RupertCBWWinnipegManitobaInformation RadioRadio NoonUp To SpeedCBWK-FMThompsonCBZF-FMFrederictonNew BrunswickInformation MorningMaritime NoonShiftCBD-FMSaint JohnInformation MorningCBAM-FMMonctonInformation MorningCBNSt. John'sNewfoundland and LabradorThe St. John's Morning ShowThe SignalOn The Go,The Fisheries BroadcastCBGGanderCBC Newfoundland MorningCBT-FMGrand Falls-WindsorCBYCorner BrookCFGB-FMHappy Valley-Goose BayLabrador MorningCBDQ-FMLabrador CityCFYK-FMYellowknifeNorthwest Territories (), The TrailbreakerNorthwindTide Godi, Dehcho Dene, Denesuline Yatia, Trail's EndCHAKInuvikNantaii, Le Gots'hedeh, Tusaavik, Trail's EndCBHAHalifaxNova ScotiaInformation Morning (Nova Scotia)Maritime NoonMainstreet (Nova Scotia)CBISydneyInformation Morning (Cape Breton)Mainstreet (Cape Breton)CFFBIqaluitNunavut () () (), (), (), Tusaavik, SinnaksautitCFFB-FM-5KuujjuaqQuebec (Nunavik)Quebec A.M., ()CBO-FMOttawaOntarioOttawa MorningOntario TodayAll in a DayCBLA-FMTorontoMetro MorningHere and NowCBLA-FM-2Kitchener-Waterloo (Paris)The Morning EditionCBCL-FMLondonLondon MorningAfternoon DriveCBEW-FMWindsorWindsor MorningCBCS-FMGreater SudburyMorning NorthUp NorthCBQT-FMThunder BaySuperior MorningCBCT-FMCharlottetownPrince Edward IslandIsland MorningMaritime NoonMainstreet (PEI)CBME-FMMontrealQuebecDaybreak MontrealRadio NoonLet's GoCBVE-FMQuebec CityQuebec A.M.BreakawayCBMP-FMChisasibiQuebec A.M., (Winschgaoug) (Eyou Dipajimoon) (Winschgaoug), BreakawayCBKRegina (Watrous)SaskatchewanThe Morning EditionBlue SkyThe 306CBKA-FMLa RongeCBK-1-FMSaskatoonSaskatoon MorningCFWH-FMWhitehorseYukonYukon MorningMidday CafeAirplay
Shortwave relays of Radio One Several shortwave radio relays of CBC Radio One once existed to provide coverage to remote areas that could not otherwise receive radio broadcasts. The only such operation still licensed is CKZN, relaying CFGB-FM from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador with a 1 kW ERP signal on a fixed frequency of 6.16 MHz.
Former shortwave relays include CKCX, providing a relay of CBC North programming, and CKZU, relaying CBU from Vancouver. CKCX and CKZU ceased operations in 2012 and 2017, respectively.
Programming
Most schedules include hourly news readings that run from 4–10 minutes on the top of the hour except for major programming like the 6:00 p.m. news show, Your World Tonight, and the Sunday afternoon call-in show, Cross Country Checkup. Some mid-day programs include only brief 90-second "information updates".
On statutory holidays, local programming, particularly the morning shows, is replaced by special provincial programming or regional programs are broadcast province-wide on a rotating basis. Typically for the noon and late afternoon time slots, national programs in the form of documentary specials are aired as well. In the summer months of July and August, some programming is temporarily shortened and/or replaced by special summer series. For Christmas Day, the majority of the programming, beginning at 8:00 PM on Christmas Eve, is replaced with predominately holiday music showcases.
Stations in the Canadian territories air a significantly different schedule with expanded local programming that includes a number of programs in local Indigenous languages. They air most of the core CBC Radio One schedule, although some programs may air in abbreviated versions (see CBC North for further information).
The network also airs some programming syndicated from American public broadcasting services such as National Public Radio and Public Radio Exchange, including programs from the now defunct Public Radio International which merged with PRX in 2019, This American Life,"CBC Radio One to air This American Life". Toronto Star, January 4, 2011. Radiolab and the news series The World and, previously, The State We're In. With the exceptions of This American Life, which airs on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. and RadioLab which airs on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m., all other non-Canadian content airs after 1:00 a.m. as part of the CBC Radio Overnight programming block."CBC Radio overnight schedule moves up to 11:00 p.m.. Toronto Star, January 6, 2011.
Sirius XM The Radio One feed on Sirius XM Satellite Radio largely follows the Eastern Time schedule, and has no local programming, with repeats of other shows in time slots that would normally be occupied by local programming. As a consequence of using a single feed, most national programming outside the Eastern Time Zone is heard earlier or later than the regional outlet on terrestrial radio - for example: The World at Six is heard on Sirius XM as early as 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time in Vancouver, and as late as 7:30 p.m. Newfoundland Time in St. John's.